Oil lubricator



P. O. BROWN OIL LUBRICATOR June 19, 1928.

Filed July l2, 1925 mvENToR lrry 0. fowff El .l .E

ATTORNEY Patented June 19, 1928.

`UNITED STATE-s i 1,614,155 PATENT OFFICE.

PERRY o. BROWN, oF sT. VINCENT, MINNESOTA, AssrGNon or ONE-HALF To GU'sTAF V. BACKSTROM, or sT.

VINCENT, MINNESOTA.

OIL LUBRICATOR.

of lsaid part rises and` falls above normal.,

In lubricators of this type, (see my Patent No. 1,567,702 issued December 29, 1925 for example) `means are provided to effect a regular or normal feed of lubricant under. ordinary or normal conditions, and to increase that feed during a rise in temperature of the bearing or other part being lubricated, and

again restore the feed to normal when theA temperature has fallen to normal.

The present invention has for its objects greatly tov simplify and reduce the cost of construction of lubricators of this general type; to provide means whereby a regular feed adjusting device is so controlled by an emergency control device that not Vonly will the regular feed be automatically increased above normal and restored again to normal upon rise and4 fall respectively o f the temperature'of the part to be lubricated, but it will result in automaticallyclosing off ofthe regular feed when the parts to be lubricated areat rest andthe temperature'thereof falls below the normal running temperature,

said means also serving to restore the regu-` lar feed whenthe parts toxreceive' lubrication warm up to normal runningl temperature again. i y j Y Y yAnother object is to provide means to keep up the proper` flow of lubricant by preventing or releasing the cloggingof the oil feedout duct (or passage, which 'might otherwise interfere with the properflow of lubricant. .j A still further object. of the invention is to provide a positive mechanical connection between the regular or normal feed control valve and the emergency f control `device whereby theac'tion of the emergency control device will directly effect the valve action (during` emergency operation) and not effect it through the variation of pressure in the lubricant itself `as is done in my patented device hereinbefore referred to; this insures the lproper functioning ,of the control valve, according to the desired flow of lu bricant, at all times.`

With other objects in View `which will be apparent to those skilled in the art invention also resides in those novel features of construction, `combination and arrangement of parts, all of which will be first fully de- Application filed July 12,

1926. Serial No. 121,974.

scribed, then be specifically pointed out in the appended claim, referencey being had to the accompanying drawing in which: j

Figure l is a perspective viev7 of my invention. i

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same, showing the parts positioned 1n the non-operating or rest condition.

Figure 3 is aview similar. to Figure 2,l

showing' the position of normal operation. .y

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 showing the position of parts when the bearings haveheated up. and-.anV emergency adjustment has been effected.

In the drawing in which like numerals ofl reference designate like parts in all the figures, l represents the casing. body or oil reservoir which, in the preferred embodiment, consists of a tube whose top `is closed and whose bottom threads onto a threaded portion of a base 2, the top part of the base 2 being screwed into the open end of the tube.

The lower end of the base 2 is threaded so that it can be screwed into a screw-threaded hole in a journal box lor other apparatus to parts during the which it is desired to feed lubricant, thereby enabling the lubricating device to be 'attached to its place of service to runniiigmachinery in a convenient and expeditious way. The base 2 is provided with a small opening or passage 3for delivering the lubricant from the interior of the reservoir` to the part tobe lubricated; this opening is of `circular form and has a part of frusto-conical shape with its larger base at the top to cooperate with a needle valve tv that has a conical4 portion to cooperate with the conical part of the passage 3 as clearlyshown in the drawing. It is by the adjustment of this valve 4 that the ilow of `lubrieantfrom the reservoir to the part to be lubricated is suitably controlledwhile the lubricator is in'use.k i AExtending `upwardly from the needle valve .4 is a rod 5 that passes through the reservoirtop and is suitably threaded `to pass through `a screw-threaded hole in a-supporting arm 6. A suitable finger piece 7 is secured to the upper end of the rod 5 by which the rod may be turned in the arm 6to effect the normal adjustment of the needle valve. The base 2 is provided with a small` bore 8, the bottom of which is plugged as at 14,

and this bore Scontains mercury or other furthermore bored,as at l5, to vform a bearing for the rod 10 of the en'iergencj7 control device, the rod 10 projecting into the bore or chamber 8 as indicated.

Near the upper end the rod l() is provided with a collar l1 between which and the top ot the reservoir is located a spring 1Q that is mounted on the rod l0. The rod l() is threaded at its upper end into the arm (i to make a rigid connection therewith, the arm G serving as a downward stop to limit t-he downward movement of the rod l as well as the closing movement of the valve 4.

rl`he top oi the reservoir is provided with an opening that contains a screw cap lil through which opening (when the cap is removed) the reservoir may be charged with lubricant.

In operation, when the device has been applied to a bearing or other part to be lubricated and the machinery is running so as to warm up to its normal temperature, the valve 4 is set, by turning the finger piece 7, to feed the desired normal quantity of lubric-ant. Then the parts are ruiming under the normal temperature of course the rod l() will be slightly lifted due to the expansion oi the mercury or other expansible tluid in the chamber 8, and the arm (i will be r: ised from its contact with the top of the reservoir. New should the temperature of the part to be lubricated rise above the normal (as would be the ease were the bearing gets ting insufficient lubricant or overheatingr for any other reason) the heat will be communicated to the base 2 and cause a further expansion of the fluid within the chamber 8, thereby raising the rod l() and by virtue of the direct connection aiiorded by the arm 6 the rod 5 will be raised a corresponding degree to unseat the valve 4 to a correspondingly greater extent and permit more lubricant to flow through the passage 3. As soon as suilicient lubricant has passedto supply the bearing with the desired lubrication and the temperature of the parts again falls to normal the contraction of the iluid in the chamber S will permit the rod to be lowered under the action ol the spring l2 and consequently the valve 4 will be brought again to its normal position to eileet the normal feed.

When the machinery stops running and the parts require no further lubrication the temperature of course will fall below the normal running ten'iperature and permit the rod l() to move until the arm 6 rests on the top or" the reservoir or until the valve 4 shall have become seated and thus cut off the flow of lubricant until the bearing or other part to be lubricated again warms up to its normal running temperature.

The needle valve 4 should be long enough to extend entirely7 through the passage 3 when the adjustment is closed and nearly through the passage when the valve is open to its normal adjustment, it being one of the purposes of the needle valve to 'facilitate the work of keeping the passage 3 open to the flow oli lubricant.

The screw threads on the upper end of the rod 5 should extend far enough down on that rod to enable the valve 4 to be raised entirely above the top part of the base il,"

as the said needle valve must be in such raised position before the container l can be assembled with the base Q.

The regular adjustment of' the lubricator should be made at the normal temperature of its place oi attachment on the operating machine; and when the machine has stopped ruiming and its temperature lowered the flow ot lubricant will be automatically stopped by the emergency control device above described. lVlien the machine is again started or set into motion the normal adjustn'ient will be re-established in response to the change of ten'iperature from sub-normal to normal running temperature.

From the foregoing it will be seen that when the regular adjustment ot the lubricator fails to provide a sufficient amount oi lubricant to the need of the operating machine, or when the flow ot lubricant restrained or .shut oil by dirt or other ioreign mattei', choking the passageway 3, the rise ot temperature produced by friction of parts in the journal boxes, etc. will expand the fiuid in the chamber 8, drive up the rod 10, aise the needle valve 4 above its adjusted position, and thus make possible the ilow ot the lubricant through the passage 3 directly into the affected parts of the operating machine; when friction ceases, the temperature drops, the fluid in chamber 8 contracts and the rod 10 lowers, thus permitting the needle valve 4 to reassume its position of regular adjustment.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, it is thought the complete construction, operation and advantages of my invention will be clear to those skilled in the art to which it relates.

lVhat I claim is:

In oil lnbricators, a base having a threaded end. to enter the part to be lubricated, said base having its other end threaded, said base having two longitudinal passageways, one of which has a coni-form portion constituting a valve seat, the other of said passageways being counterbored to form a chamber, a plug closing the lower end of said chaniber, expansible fluid trapped in said chamber, a rod operating in the passage having the connterbore, a tubular body closed at one end and having its other end threaded onto said plug, said rod extending upwardly through said tubular bodj7 and through an aperture in the upper end of said tubular body to the outside thereof, a Collar on said rod Within the tubular body, a spring on Seid rod between the top of the tubular body and the Collar, a needle Valve associated with and cooperating with said valve Sent-passage, a- Valve stem projecting upwardly from said needle vulve through an aperture in the upper end of said tubular body, an arm secured to Jche upper end of said rod into which arm said vulve stem isthreaded for adjustmentpurposee, said needle Valve being pointed and of a length sulleent to project entirely `through said passage when the Valve is seated, said expansble fluid Cooperating with the rod in said passage having. the counterbore, to aetuate said valve according to temperature changes, all being arranged substantially :1s shown and for the purposes described.

PERRY O. BROVN. 

